If you can't beat them, join them. MAPLE rebrands joins US Club

[Unregistered]

This is simply a circular recycling folks...move along, nothing to see hear everyone. We are fast approaching what Maple was some years ago in some ways, its just bigger now. A handful of clubs didnt like how things were going (perhaps rightfully so, I dont know) and formed their own gig. Now they have ended up similar to where they were some years ago, albeit now with a larger number of smaller clubs too. It will yet again just become one big league. At some point certain clubs will lose the control they wanted and will do it all over again...if they havent started to already that is. Welcome to youth soccer in america. And if the folks at US club soccer think they are that much smarter than USYS, please don't kid yourselves. Where do all the truly elite players ultimately aspire to play long term (other than some nice D1 school)...why the USYS National teams of course. Its all quite silly.

USYS National teams? You mean USSF National teams

USSF regulates both USYS And US Club

[Unregistered]

This is simply a circular recycling folks...move along, nothing to see hear everyone. We are fast approaching what Maple was some years ago in some ways, its just bigger now. A handful of clubs didnt like how things were going (perhaps rightfully so, I dont know) and formed their own gig. Now they have ended up similar to where they were some years ago, albeit now with a larger number of smaller clubs too. It will yet again just become one big league. At some point certain clubs will lose the control they wanted and will do it all over again...if they havent started to already that is. Welcome to youth soccer in america. And if the folks at US club soccer think they are that much smarter than USYS, please don't kid yourselves. Where do all the truly elite players ultimately aspire to play long term (other than some nice D1 school)...why the USYS National teams of course. Its all quite silly.

Exactly why USSF created the DA's which they alone control. They put it above all else so it is immune to all of this crap you outline.

[Unregistered]

Exactly why USSF created the DA's which they alone control. They put it above all else so it is immune to all of this crap you outline.

I get that it's cool to be cynical and such, but I don't get what people are sniping about exactly. This has nothing to do with the US national team and DA, and the nat'l team is irrelevant to 99.9% of the kids playing. Not sure how this is MYSA's fault- please explain. As I recall it, NEP was set up because some clubs had some issues with MAPLE (mostly that it was relegation based, which some thought was inappropriate for development for young-ins), and they developed a new league with some different rules (including licensing requirements, turf fields, club-based scheduling, etc.). This also tended to rachet up the price significantly. NEP became top league, MAPLE became second (and generally the home of lower-priced, mom'n'pop clubs), and MASC went out of business.

Agreed that the alphabet soup of leagues nationwide is confusing and not necessary (although it's good to have some choice on price point, right?). Not clear why MAPLE switched governing bodies- I can't believe the points for joining cited in the press release are the real reasons. Is it really just about cheaper insurance rates? Did US Club Soccer offer cheaper rates than MYSA offers town teams? Good question about what this does with regard to MYSA's paying for the fields.

[Unregistered]

It's a good thing, if only for the State Cup. Smaller clubs aren't ruled out of competing with the big boys because of their league affiliation. That's not to say they'll beat them but it's ludicrous to exclude players from competing for a state title because of the league you're affiliated to.

It should be about quality, not whose palms your Director greased.

[Unregistered]

The Exec. Dir at MYSA s/b fired. The handwriting has been on the wall for some time. They have done nothing to improve YS in Mass. They do not deserve the very high salaries up there on the hill.

It's not just the executive director. The Mass Youth Soccer office administrators are rude and incompetent. There should be no excuse for either.

[Unregistered]

It's not just the executive director. The Mass Youth Soccer office administrators are rude and incompetent. There should be no excuse for either.

Someone has to be first. As it goes "the fish rots from the head".

[Unregistered]

It's a good thing, if only for the State Cup. Smaller clubs aren't ruled out of competing with the big boys because of their league affiliation. That's not to say they'll beat them but it's ludicrous to exclude players from competing for a state title because of the league you're affiliated to.

It should be about quality, not whose palms your Director greased.

Spot on. There are some teams within NSL that will beat NEP teams, they do it already in tournaments.

[Unregistered]

Spot on. There are some teams within NSL that will beat NEP teams, they do it already in tournaments.

I never understood why this is brought up, maybe its an insecurity complex. Of course there are some Maple teams that beat NEP teams. NEP has like 8-9 levels of skill brackets. Some clubs have a team in each bracket, with the lowest being mostly aimed at development. I had kids that played in both leagues. NEP had better fields for practice and games, and usually better refs. But it's naive to think NEP team will beat a Maple team all the time. So why bang that drum. And the league fees are similar for both, the added NEP price is due to better fields, both indoor and out.

[Unregistered]

Spot on. There are some teams within NSL that will beat NEP teams, they do it already in tournaments.

As another poster already stated, there are multiple tiers of teams in NEP and NSL/MAPLE. The reality is that top Premiership teams in NEP can and probably should be competing with lower level NPL teams. There are no clubs left in NSL/MAPLE that can field teams of that caliber now that FCUSA and SSS play in NEP.

There is nothing wrong with playing NSL/MAPLE if that is the level your kid plays at. NEP offers better competition at the higher levels. Neither can offer quite the level of competition that the higgest levels of NPL amd ECNL offer, but both are cheaper.

[Unregistered]

How does this affect MYSA and the fields in Lancaster? With all those player registration fees now going to US Club, how does MYSA survive? What pct of reg fees is part of the economics at MYSA?

MYSA fields are pricey to start. With out the per player user fee support to pay what ever remains on the bank note that funded Lancaster's construction- the cost will be passed on to the renters (i.e. clubs). Most larger clubs NEFC, Stars, and GPS (etc) have built their own facilities or funded the construction of facilities with long term leases. In part their decision to fund these facilities was the cost associated with playing at lancaster.

Currently NEP does lease a significant amount of time at MYSA for the younger age group festival games. Most Club Tournaments also rent Lancaster. MYSA is likely locked into some longer term contracts for all these field rentals. The facility works on a number of levels for games and tournaments- and i expect NEP and NSL clubs to continue to use lancaster as long as their contract rates are at reasonable rates.

But the economic impact of NESL's move to Club Soccer means that MYSA will have to significantly scale back its personnel and eliminate programs like OPD and potentially their State Cup. They can't continue their current structure based on only BAYS teams.

[Unregistered]

I get that it's cool to be cynical and such, but I don't get what people are sniping about exactly. This has nothing to do with the US national team and DA, and the nat'l team is irrelevant to 99.9% of the kids playing. Not sure how this is MYSA's fault- please explain. As I recall it, NEP was set up because some clubs had some issues with MAPLE (mostly that it was relegation based, which some thought was inappropriate for development for young-ins), and they developed a new league with some different rules (including licensing requirements, turf fields, club-based scheduling, etc.). This also tended to rachet up the price significantly. NEP became top league, MAPLE became second (and generally the home of lower-priced, mom'n'pop clubs), and MASC went out of business.

Agreed that the alphabet soup of leagues nationwide is confusing and not necessary (although it's good to have some choice on price point, right?). Not clear why MAPLE switched governing bodies- I can't believe the points for joining cited in the press release are the real reasons. Is it really just about cheaper insurance rates? Did US Club Soccer offer cheaper rates than MYSA offers town teams? Good question about what this does with regard to MYSA's paying for the fields.

It has a lot to do with working a multi-state league within the restrictions placed on the league by USYS state organizational structures. Joining Club soccer frees NESL from having to get "permission to play" every time a team plays another division across state lines.

[Unregistered]

I get that it's cool to be cynical and such, but I don't get what people are sniping about exactly. This has nothing to do with the US national team and DA, and the nat'l team is irrelevant to 99.9% of the kids playing. Not sure how this is MYSA's fault- please explain. As I recall it, NEP was set up because some clubs had some issues with MAPLE (mostly that it was relegation based, which some thought was inappropriate for development for young-ins), and they developed a new league with some different rules (including licensing requirements, turf fields, club-based scheduling, etc.). This also tended to rachet up the price significantly. NEP became top league, MAPLE became second (and generally the home of lower-priced, mom'n'pop clubs), and MASC went out of business.

Agreed that the alphabet soup of leagues nationwide is confusing and not necessary (although it's good to have some choice on price point, right?). Not clear why MAPLE switched governing bodies- I can't believe the points for joining cited in the press release are the real reasons. Is it really just about cheaper insurance rates? Did US Club Soccer offer cheaper rates than MYSA offers town teams? Good question about what this does with regard to MYSA's paying for the fields.

Can someone help with this statement "As I recall it, NEP was set up because some clubs had some issues with MAPLE (mostly that it was relegation based, which some thought was inappropriate for development for young-ins)"?

Wouldn't a promotion/relegation system be beneficial to growth since teams would be playing with others more in line with their level instead of the same teams as prior season? So if a team ends up at the top of their division wouldn't it make sense to move to the next level and play more evenly matched teams (or better)? Just wondering pros and cons here.

[Unregistered]

NEP/NEC is moving teams tier to tier based upon results. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with requests by the clubs based upon how a the team did the previous season.

[Unregistered]

NEP/NEC is moving teams tier to tier based upon results. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with requests by the clubs based upon how a the team did the previous season.

The last post suggests that NEP formed because they were opposed to this system?

[Unregistered]

The last post suggests that NEP formed because they were opposed to this system?

Yes that was my question, unless that poster was incorrect. I would think this is beneficial for development instead of coaches just deciding where their teams should be placed.